When to Contact a Medical Professional

Prevention

Make sure that any foreign objects you insert into your vagina (such as tampons) are properly placed. Be sure to follow instructions on how long to leave it inside, how often to change it, or how often to clean it.

Being in a monogamous sexual relationship with someone who is known to be free of any STI. Monogamous means you and your partner do not have sex with any other people. Not having sexual intercourse (abstinence) is the only absolute method of preventing sexually transmitted cervicitis.

Using by using a condom every time you have sex to lower your risk of getting an STI. Condoms are available for both men and women, but are most commonly worn by the man. A condom must be used properly every time.

See also

For both men and women, pain can occur in the pelvic area during or soon after sexual intercourse. It can happen at any time during sex — for example, at the time of penetration, erection, or ejaculation — or after sexual activity.
Eventually, ongoing pain may cause a person to lose ...

The cervix is the lower end of the womb (uterus). It is at the top of the . It is about 1 inch long. The cervical canal passes through the cervix. It allows blood from a menstrual period and a baby (fetus) to pass from the womb into the vagina.
The cervical canal also allows sperm to pass from the ...

The Pap smear is a screening test for cervical cancer. Cells scraped from the opening of the cervix are examined under a microscope. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens at the top of the vagina.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV).
This article focuses on HSV type 2 (HSV-2) infection.

Review date:

November 13, 2014

Reviewed by:

Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Bellevue, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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